MWB wrote:Part of the reason it was started was to fill those positions. I'm not sure how much of a need there still is to fill those right now though. TFA seems to have much loftier goals than that at this point.

Sixty percent of all North Carolinian teachers would make $32,000/year in the Apprentice category and be allowed to teach for up to twenty years, at which time they must retire or move on to another industry.

Thirty percent of teachers would be eligible for the Master category if they have been teaching for three years, have completed an online training program, and can demonstrate mastery of the teaching method based on “customer survey data.” Master teachers would earn $52,000/year.

Ten percent of teachers would become Career teachers, making $72,000 if they have an advanced degree and can innovate and lead.

All teachers would be able to serve in North Carolina for no more than 20 years. If the plan were to be adopted, all teachers in North Carolina would be required to reapply for their jobs in 2015.

It's dismaying. My parents are from NC, all of old relatives (outside of my parents) still live there and I have a real soft spot for the state.The fact that some people want to do that to their own state.....yoy.

Latest craziness out of NC teaching is that Governor McCrory would like to give raises to teachers with 0-9 years of experience. They'd all be making $35000. Over nine years of experience? You're already paid enough, apparently.

I skimmed this thread so I hope I didn't miss any discussions pertaining to this, but does anyone else think Cyber schooling is a gigantic scam?

Several of the school districts in my area raising taxes in large part due to the escalating costs of more students/parents opting for cyber school. I'm wondering who really thinks this is a good idea?

I meet many high school juniors/seniors through my business and most of the ones going to cyber school do so only because they hate school. They can sleep in, do their classes whenever they want, work a job, etc. The school districts are forced to buy them a computer, pay for their high speed internet, and pay for their cyber school education. These costs are then passed on to the taxpayers.

A friend of mine who has 4 children has the oldest one in cyber school. Yet every day at 11am he's done with school and playing at his grandmothers while his mother sits at home on his computer and his taxpayer funded internet playing facebook games and blogging about being an awesome mom. I'm sure the other 3 kids will "go" to cyber school too. Her kids are so precious that they can't be corrupted at the public schools, yet she's too cheap to pay for private school.

I feel like a grumpy old man saying this, but that's BS. If a parent wants to send their kid to private school, they foot the bill unless they can get aid or a scholarship. Why do the cyber school people get a free ride? These aren't children with special needs, they just don't want to go to public school.

To counter your grumpy old man comments, maybe if the parents, administrators, PTA and teachers were all to band together and fix the problem of a broken education system, students would go to school to learn an education and not to slack off. Children should be held accountable to a degree to learn -- but only after they have a firm understanding as to what the expectations are.

We (taxpayers) pay for this and should demand more.

And further grumpy old man thoughts, I have no skin in the game but live in an area where property taxes are high because the schools around me are quality. I don't mind paying as long as the results are there. Of course, that doesn't stop them little buggers from toilet papering the high school QB's house at least every 3 months.

BigMcK wrote:To counter your grumpy old man comments, maybe if the parents, administrators, PTA and teachers were all to band together and fix the problem of a broken education system, students would go to school to learn an education and not to slack off. Children should be held accountable to a degree to learn -- but only after they have a firm understanding as to what the expectations are.

I can definitely understand it - if the student is stuck in a bad district. That said, I haven't met any students in my area who decided to go the cyber school route to get a better education. And none of the parents have used that as they're reasoning either. The parents that do care, care because they don't want their kids around bad elements. I guess I can understand that, but I also think they should bear the financial burden.